For parents or public school employees (Johnson City, Kingsport: transplants, sales, real estate)

[lady757]

We are very unhappy with the direction VA schools are taking so much so that we're considering a relocation. We've been to TN many times, but not this area. We are interested in this area because it is near "home." The following will help us know whether we should explore the area further:

How happy are parents with the schools? Have you been subjected to the new CRT-SEL push that many others have? Pornographic books in schools? Not trying to trade a lemon for a lemon. We want to avoid school boards like ours who have been in the news for being so awful to parents and kids, pushing agendas that seem to move towards a mission vs academics and also ones who kept kids out of school for so long during the pandemic.

How much time are public school kids in your area spending on computers vs traditional pencil-paper learning?

What areas are considered to be safe and kid friendly, with good schools and not rural but good space (1/2 acre plus) between houses, under 500k?

I'm looking for a school system that sticks to academics, but also a welcoming environment for new people, tolerant of those with differences (disabilities, race etc.). I don't like extremes in politics. I think we'd fit with more conservative leaning-independent types if that helps direct us any.

[Serious Conversation]

The biggest barrier to entry in this area is well-paying work. You need to either bring a job with you, or have an offer in hand before moving.

I'm an area native, but have spent years in more affluent Midwestern suburbs, and the better part of a year in metro Boston on business travel. I'm middle of the road politically.

I don't have kids, but I've heard nothing of the CRT controversies, like has been going on in NOVA. Schools here reflect the local population base - pretty conservative.

Johnson City is the default choice for transplants as it has the best schools, dining, shopping, medical, etc., and is more transplant friendly than the other cities due to the university, VA, and medical industry, which brings in out of area talent.

Kingsport has good schools, but I don't think that will hold out for many more years as the city's demographics are trending downward - poorer, older, and more educated parents are sticking to Washington County/Johnson City.

Bristol is kind of a wild card - schools may not be quite as good, but they're OK, but real estate prices are lower than Johnson City, and the city has far more going than Kingsport.

I wouldn't think racial, disability, differences would be much of a problem in the city schools. Rural schools tend to be less inconclusive and often populated with locals who have ties generations deep.

$500k will buy you a nice home anywhere in the area, a bit less in JC. With that said, it won't be a mansion, and the cost of living, especially on property price, is rising quickly. More emphasis on COL issues in Johnson City.

To me, this area is as far right as NOVA is far left. Neither are great. The best aspects of the area - weather, outdoor activities, good infrastructure. have little or nothing to do with politics.

With that said, if I wasn't born here with family ties, I wouldn't live here.

[Beretta]

If you aren't happy with the VA schools I don't believe that you will be with the TN schools. Also, schools vary within systems and system to system. There are some nice private schools.

There is a lot of teacher/educator fatigue post COVID, not unlike other places.

[jchometeam]

I am very happy with my kids' school in Johnson City. Well funded (I actually think it is too well funded in some areas, but that's another story), good teachers, good extracurricular opportunities, etc. My understanding is that all of the schools, both city and county, use technology quite a bit in their classes as well as to complete homework. If you are looking for traditional paper-pencil learning, you might be looking at home schooling...

I don't have much to say on the CRT stuff. I've not heard anyone around here complaining about it, and I honestly don't think it is an issue.

[Page2]

To me the CRT is more of a political issue that's resolved to consolidate bases to battle for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist in the classroom. The school and living situations explained by others fit the area well. So far much of our immigration has been folks looking to leave the problems of other areas. We've also attracted some preppers. The area's population seems to be a churn. Growth has come in the major cities as the smaller cities and counties have seen some population decline. And while the area is seeing some population growth its economy is not creating enough good jobs for anything but slow growth for now.

[lady757]

Thank you for the responses so far. I'm self employed and licensed in VA. Although I could become licensed in TN, I would rather travel across the state line depending on ease. Is it a long or difficult commute from Bristol and/or Johnson City to VA (we'll say near Bristol, VA for a point of reference)? Although my tech husband can and has done his job from anywhere, that would be a concern. Are there a decent amount of professional/senior/lead tech positions available in the area should he be in need of a job?

In terms of schools, are there parenting information or network sites online? Sometimes those can help get a better picture for the area.

As for CRT, we very much have that influence in certain classrooms in VA from schools paying companies on How to teach from a CRT perspective, to surveys for kids from companies who teach educators how to teach CRT, to many real life examples happening in our schools. Yes. It is certainly a political platform, but our schools are emphasizing it and weaving it into curriculum in spite of all the kids who are behind academically from our schools being shut down for so long. Moreover, after only 6 weeks of school, they are reducing in person schooling again with regular 1/2 days.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by lady757

Thank you for the responses so far. I'm self employed and licensed in VA. Although I could become licensed in TN, I would rather travel across the state line depending on ease. Is it a long or difficult commute from Bristol and/or Johnson City to VA (we'll say near Bristol, VA for a point of reference)? Although my tech husband can and has done his job from anywhere, that would be a concern. Are there a decent amount of professional/senior/lead tech positions available in the area should he be in need of a job?

In terms of schools, are there parenting information or network sites online? Sometimes those can help get a better picture for the area.

As for CRT, we very much have that influence in certain classrooms in VA from schools paying companies on How to teach from a CRT perspective, to surveys for kids from companies who teach educators how to teach CRT, to many real life examples happening in our schools. Yes. It is certainly a political platform, but our schools are emphasizing it and weaving it into curriculum in spite of all the kids who are behind academically from our schools being shut down for so long. Moreover, after only 6 weeks of school, they are reducing in person schooling again with regular 1/2 days.

If you are working in VA, you will be paying income tax to VA. Therefore, you might as well just live as close to the job as possible. There are some minor tax differences - VA has personal property tax on vehicles, but auto insurance is generally lower. VA has somewhat higher property tax rates, but property valuations are generally lower. VA has much lower sales taxes, and lower excise taxes on certain items like alcohol and tobacco. VA has a higher "meal" tax for meals out. The cost of living differences, aside from the state income taxes, are a coin flip.

I would look into whether or not the telecommuting husband would need to pay state income tax or not. If he can get out of it, it may be worth considering living in TN.

I live in Bristol, less than a mile from the VA line. The drive from here to north Johnson City is about half an hour. The south side of Johnson City around ETSU is around 35-40 minutes.

Personally, I like Johnson City better. Johnson City typically gets the newest retail, restaurant, nightlife, etc., options in the area. The location is better - closer to the mountains in Carter/Unicoi county, and proximity to other areas, like Asheville, NC. There simply isn't much in southwest VA, other than Abingdon, worth seeing for a couple of hours.

Bristol is improving rapidly, but Johnson City is just much bigger and has a big head start.

There are some local Facebook groups that would have more answers for schools and such. I have no kids, but I don't think this is an issue in this part of Virginia.

If by "tech" you mean IT or software development related work, the local job market is poor. There are a couple of large employers - Eastman Chemical Company and Ballad Health. Those are the largest IT employers in the area. Eastman is notorious for outsourcing and offshoring IT work. Ballad is a bit more stable, but benefits are poor. There are some smaller employers that you'll find anywhere - local banks, government, schools, etc., but again, pay, and job availability as a whole, are just not good.

[sprintuser2014]

For the record CRT isn’t even taught in Virginia public schools. It’s a non issue.

[lady757]

Thank you Serious Conversation for the detailed and helpful info.

Sprintuser2014: Unfortunately, it is. I should say college level theory is not taught to young kids, but the theory heavily influences some curriculum. Alternative terms are CRP, SEL, equity etc. However, no matter what synonym is used to say CRT is not taught, you can find literal "CRT" straight out of the VDOE and its trainings for teachers, who then of course teach to kids in schools. Fortunately, not every teacher goes along with it, but there are plenty of examples from both video teacher trainings, teachers and students who report such that say it and the tenets of it are indeed taught by some in VA schools. SEL (aka CRT) classes are taught instead of catching kids up on math and English. SEL surveys are given to kids and Panorama collects the info...Panorama also sells teaching materials/CRT books to schools. VA is paying them. Overall, come January, it would most likely be very accurate to say, with Youngkin, it will soon no longer be taught!

Here are several (of many) quick references:
https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/...gin=BROWSELINK

"embrace critical race theory" here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vir...n-taught-there
https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article...c9103236c.html

http://www.manningvbsb.com/wokeness-checker.html

https://thefederalist.com/2021/10/14...ginia-schools/

Entertaining one: you have to click on view bc it is rated "sensitive" - https://twitter.com/TheTonus/status/...NbaXb2ijp0-l80

[doc1]

Originally Posted by sprintuser2014

For the record CRT isn’t even taught in Virginia public schools. It’s a non issue.

There's a thread in the POC forum that seems to say otherwise:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/poli...tor-scott.html

Since this is the TN forum we should leave the VA issue there.